"We had almost 1,000 online votes for about 75 restaurants," said Sammy Blossom, executive director for the Mississippi Beef Council. "We took the top 10 of the vote-getters."

The Porter Avenue Bistro was the only restaurant on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that was recognized. The other restaurants are:

Cowbells, Starkville

Dukes Steak House, Pelahatchie

Harveys, Tupelo

Huck's Place, Columbus

Russell's Beef House, Corinth

The Caboose, McComb

The Veranda, Starkville

Two Rivers, Canton

Wyndale Steakhouse, Terry

The rib eye steak at the Porter Avenue Bistro is lightly marinated and then seasoned before being cooked over a chargrill. It is served on homemade Yukon mashed potatoes and garnished with asparagus and a cheese-butter sauce. It has been named one of the best steaks in the state by the Mississppi Beef Council. (The Mississippi Press/Susan Ruddiman)

All the restaurants will receive plaques. From now until the first of February, anonymous judges will eat at each restaurant to select the first-place winner, Blossom said.

"It's nerve-racking because every ticket that comes into the kitchen for a filet or rib eye, we wonder if this is the one. It makes us step up our game," Shafer said.

The Porter Avenue Bistro offers two styles of steak -- a filet mignon and a 12-ounce ribeye. The premium meat comes from Naman's Meat Co. of Mobile, she said.

"Chris Naman, the owner, takes care of us. He's a good guy and has quality products," Shafer said.

Shafer's husband, Chuck Shafer, hand cuts the meat, and then it is lightly marinated. Each steak is seasoned while on the grill and served with a dab of homemade white cheese on the top.

The first-place restaurant will be named on Feb. 11 during the Mississippi Cattlemen Association convention in Jackson, Blossom said.

"The top winner will get the bragging rights, a nice trophy and a $1,000 local advertising package," he said.

This is the first time the Mississippi Beef Council has named the best steak in the state.

"We are in the business of promoting beef and encouraging consumers to chose the world's best protein and we wanted to acknowledge these fine restaurants," Blossom said.

The Porter Avenue Bistro, located at 503 Porter Ave. in Ocean Springs, has been opened for two years in one of the oldest structures in Ocean Springs, Shafer said.

The restaurant has been nominated for the Best Sunday Brunch by the Coast Observer for its Covey awards to be given in January at the Hard Rock Biloxi.

In May, the restaurant won two out of three categories for Taste of Ocean Springs, and in September, it was named Best New Restaurant and Saturday Morning Cook-off during the Chefs of the Coast hosted by the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association.

"This most recent award came out of the blue," Shafer said.

The Porter Avenue Bistro (228-818-2772) will be closed until Friday for the holidays.

Shafer also owns two other restaurants -- Shady's Global Grille on Government Street in Ocean Springs and on Pass Road in Biloxi.